Work support for printing apparatus



Sept. 16 l 924.

A. L. GRAY woRK SUPPORT FOR PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 15, 1922 INVENTOR, ANU/V L. GRA Y A TTORN E Y Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

-A'rNT ALTON I.y GRAY, 0F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TODD PROTECTOGRAPH COMPANY, ZINC., 0F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

Y WORK SUPPORT FOR PRINTING APPABiATUS.

Application led July 15, 1922. Serial No. 575,185.

To lwhom it may cof/teem:

Be it known that AL'roN L. GRAY, a citizen of the United States of America, residtain new and useful Improvements in Work' Supports for Printing Apparatus, of wh1ch the following is a s ecification. This invention re ates to work supports, and more particularly to the variety adapted for use with printing apparatus, being in the nature of animprovement on the work table described in Letters Patent No. 1,299,521 issued April 8, 1919, to Todd, Tiefel and La Ma for checkwriters It is desirab e to equip printing appaj ratus of a character described in said Letters Patent with a work table forsupporting the work during its feeding movement throu h the machine, and to movably support t e table, pivotally or otherwise, on the machine so that it may be moved to a folded, out-of-the-way positionl when the machine is not in use, to occupy less space, vprotect the table against injury, facilitate the application of a dust cover to the machine. is also desirable to provide such a table with an extensible gauge-bar for initially locating the work relative to the machine. Most of the work printed on such a machine, as

for example, a supply of checks, is of a uniform size, to which the gauge-bar is adjusted by measurement, and it has been found desirable to provide stop means for limiting movement of the gauge-bar at a customary position of adjustment while otherwise permitting adjustment of the bar to suit work of a different size and also movement of the bar to the folded position referred to. One object of the invention,

therefore, is to provide a simple and lpractical stop means, conveniently adjustable to limit the movement of the gauge-bar in a predetermined position, so that the bar may be quickly returnedto such positlon after temporary adjustment to suit other work or after having been folded with the table, without remeasurement-f of the customary work.

To these and other endsthe invention consists in certain improvements and comblnations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top view of the work table, partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end view of part of the table,

with a section broken awayl to show the means of securing the gauge-bar thereto.

Fig. l3 is the same as Fig. 2 with more of the parts broken away to show the detail, and with one of the parts in la different positlon. Fig. 4 is a section through the line 4 4 of Fig.v y1.

The work support or tableconsists of a plate 1 having a downturned marginal portion 2. formed. to extend.` along the entire length of one side, as shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted outline in Fig. 4, the opposite side of the table being provided adjacent its inner end with a smaller downturned portion 3. Each of these depending portions is provided with an opening to receive a stationary rod 4 carried by the machine casing, the table being slidably supported by this rodand by brackets' 5 slidably secured to a simllar rod 6 directly below and parallel wlth rod 4, both rods extending along the side of the machine casing and being fastened to the lattervat either end, as by means of brackets 6a. The plate 1 is also provided, on the same side as the ortion 3, with another downturned portion ,having a slot 8, \`a's1milar slot 88 (see Fig. l) being provided in the portion 2 directly'opposite slot 8. A rod 9 connects the brackets 5 and is free to move in the slots 8 and 88. L The brackets 5 are also connected by a brace rod 10. ln the action of folding the table or shelf against the machine the plate 1 pivots on the rod 4 and the brackets 5 pivot on the rod .6, the slots 8 and 88 taking care of the motlon of the other end of the brackets relative to the table.Vv

The plate 1 has a small upturned ear 11 which, together-with an aligned, unturned flange 12, serves as a guide for one ed e of the check as it advances into the mac ine. There is also provided an end gauge for gauging the degree to which the check is projected into the machine to receive the first impression at the left-hand end thereof, and whereby the exact distance of the beginning of the writing `from that end may be determined. This gauge consists of a bar 13 rovided with an upturned end fiange 14 andpa longltudlnal Slot l5, and isY secured to Q Leonesa the under side of the plate 1 by means of a stud 16 iXed in the plate and extending through slot 15. The gauge-bar is thus slidable ongitud-inally toward and from the machine, being held in friotional engagement with the table by a compression spring 16, Fig. 2, coiled about the stud between a keeper 16b on the outer end thereof and a washer 16 bearing against the gauge-bar. Four small indentations 17 in the plate 1 serve, in connection with the edges of the slot. 15, to maintainl\.the gauge-bar parallel withr the line offfeed of the check. 'lhis gauge-bar is also provided with a scale 1'?E along one edge of the slot 15, thus aording a meansV of. marking the extent to which the dan e 111 has been pulled. out from the edge of pate '1. i

lThe invention comprises the provision of adjustable ystop means for limiting the sliding movement of thegauge-bar to mark a customary, predetermined posit-ion to which lit may heconveniently returned without remeasurement of the customary check. lo this .end one edge ot the gauge-bar is provided withfteeth to term a rack 18 (Fig. 1), for enga ement with the teeth of a pinion 19 rotata ly secured to the underside of the platev 1. stop portion or tooth v2() wider than the rest ot the teeth, and is supported in such a way that it may be lifted away from the plate 1 and thus out ot engagement with the rack 18, Jfor rotarily adjusting the position of the stop portion 2G relative to the Vrack of bar 13. Thus a lrnob 21 provided with a lmurled shpulder 22 is secured to the pinion and countersunh toA receive a compression s ring 23 .surrounding a 4stud 2d on which tv e pinion is rotatably carried. rllhe stud 2t is secured at one end to the plate 1, Figs. -3 and t, and is tapped at its other end to receive a screw 25a washer 26 being provided between the stud and the screw head to hold one end ot the spring 23, the other end of which engages a shoulder on the knob to yieldably hold the latter and a pinion against the table and in co-operation with the rack 18. By grasping the lrnob 21 the pinion may be lifted ont et engagement with the teeth ot rack 18 against the tension of the spring 23, turned to bring its stop portion20 to any desired position relative to the rack, and then reengaged with the latter. ,lWhe'n the bar is moved in or out the pinion is rotated until stop portion 20 engages the rack and stops further movement' in the same directie j ln operation, when it is desired to adjust the device to sto the gauge-bar in a given position the pinion 19 is lifted away from plate 1 hy means et lrnob 21 and thus out of engagement with the raclr 1g, as shown infl'iig. 2. The gauge-bar 13 is then moved to the desired position, corresponding, `ter This pinion is provided with a example, to a customary size of check. rllhe pinion is now allowed to fall back into position against the plate 1 and into, mesh with the rack in such a relation that'the portion or tooth 20 will be adjacent the teeth 'of rack 18, to prevent further outward movement ofthe latter. llt will be seen that with the tooth 20 in this position any attempt to move the gauge-bar 13 outward will cause the tooth 20 to be brought to bear against the teeth of' the rack 18, and thus prevent any further outward movement of the gaugebar.' Thegauge-bar may then be pushed in to any other'position, or to tacilitatefolding of the table. 1t is then only necessary in subsequent use of the gauge to pull it'out until its movement is 'arrested by the action of the tooth 20 to restore it to the positionat which it has previously been set.

The stop may be adjusted in the manner described, of course, to similarly limit inwardr movement of the auge-bar, althou h its use is ordinarily as a ove described. s apparent from the above description and the drawings, the device is simple and inexpensive in construction, and convenient and etfective in operation.

What is claimed is:

"1.v A worlr support for printing apparatus comprising a gauge adjustable te diderent positions on the support to suit the work and provid with gear teeth, a toothed wheel rotatable on the support with its teeth in mesh with those of said gauge, and a device for variably limiting the rotation of vsaid wheel and thereby stopping the movement of vsaid gauge in diderent positions et adjustment.

2. A-worlr support or printing apparatus comprising a gauge movable in opposite directions on the support to diderent positions, and provided with gear teeth, and a toothed wheel rotatable on the table in mesh with the gauge teeth and provided with stop means for imiting its rotation and the movement ot the gauge;

3. A work support for printing apparatus comprising a gauge bar adjustably slidable on the table and provided with a toothed portion, a toothed `wheel rotatable on the table in mesh with said lbar and also movable axially into and out oi meshing relation therewith, and stop means on said wheel for limiting rotation thereof and .stopping said bar in a selected position determined by the rotary adjustment of the wheel while out of mesh with said bar.

d. lin a printing apparatus,.a worlr table,

means pivotally supporting the same :torv

folding movement to an out-of-the-wa oosition, a gauge-har slidable on the tab e or adjustment to suit the work, and ior move-v ment to retracted position when the table is folded, a raclr on said gauge-bar parallel with direction olf movement thereof, a

stud on said table, a pinion having a rotary engagement with the rack to limit the out- 1 movement onsaid stud in mesh with said. ward movementjof the bar in a position derack, and also a longitudinal sliding movetermined by the rotary adjustment of the 10 ment thereon into and out of mesh with the pinion while out of mesh with the rack.

5 rack, means normall maintaining the In testimony whereof I ax my signature.

pinion in mesh with t e rack, and anuntoothed peripheral ,portion on the pinion for ALTON L. GRAY. 

